How long?
by aiofeoshea
Summary: One shot about Natalie finding out about Tess and Fletch's secret relationship.


Natalie sat waiting patiently at the table as Fletch put the kids to bed. She huddled a cup of lukewarm tea in her hands and balanced it on the top of her rapidly growing bump. The floor creaked above in Evie's room. Natalie's leg bounced against the chair leg as she became increasingly unnerved and impatient. She glanced across the table at the empty seat, waiting for it to be filled. Her heart sank with the thoughts running through her head. Is the another woman? Did he not want the baby?

Soon enough the wooden white chair was filled with the brown haired man, with a saddened expression of his face. Instantly, Natalie knew it was bad news. He reached across the table to touch her hands but she moved them back, onto her bump again. She didn't want to make it any more awkward than it already was. Fletch sighed, his fingers gently ran through his hair. "What is it?" She questioned with a quiver in her voice. His shoes tapped together, nervously.

"I haven't been completely truthful to you, Nat." His voice was filled with sorrow. How could he break her heart when she was 5 months pregnant? The baby would be a constant reminder of what an idiot he'd been. Fletch's eyes hovered around the room, attempting not to make eye contact with Natalie. Natalie's hand circled her bump as she felt a small kick. Natalie yawned as she waited for Fletch to continue.

"What are you talking about?" Natalie let off a small, sarcastic laugh. It was 9:54pm, usually by this time Natalie would be in bed sleeping. She was not in the mood for talking, especially confessions. The room fell silent. "Come on what is it? Have you been sacked? Don't you want the baby? Ade answer me, please."

Fletch shook his head dismissively before standing up and pacing the room. His heart thudded again his rib cage in fear. "I can't." Fletch choked up. Natalie's eyebrows furrowed. "I can't do this now." Fletch left the room and barged upstairs to see the kids. He stood in the corner of Mickey's room as he watched him fall asleep slowly, it soothed him. Natalie was yet again left feeling helpless.

Natalie had fallen asleep against the kitchen table. She had dribble drawled across her cheek. Fletch smiled at her, it reminded him off old times when they first fell pregnant with Evie. Gently, he brushed it away with a tissue, before placing his arms under her legs and back providing support and carrying her upstairs. Unfortunately, he managed to bang her ankle, which Natalie ignored. He placed her down on the bed peacefully as she was asleep. Atleast, she appeared to be asleep. "What couldn't you tell me before?" She spoke in a soft, dreamy voice.

"It's nothing to worry about." Fletch hesitated in what to say next. "I-I was just over reacting about something at work. Don't worry yourself, Nat, you've got enough on your plate." He smiled as he placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her back to lay down on the bed. Fletch quickly remembered Natalie's bash on the ankle. "I didn't hurt your ankle did I?" She shook her head, "good, i've had enough of nursing for one night." Fletch said cheekily before pecking her on the lips. Everything felt so wrong to him. Living a lie.

It was the early hours of the morning. Fletch couldn't bare to sleep, he felt awful. He was filled with dread and everytime he did drop off, he'd have nightmares of never seeing his kids again, losing his job for seducing the boss and having to go change his identity to emigrate to Mexico.

"Daddy, I can't sleep." A small figure stood at the door. Her hair brushed against her shoulders as Fletch jumped. He was daydreaming. Ella waddled further in huddling a small teddy bear. She perched her bottom on the end of the bed, narrowly missing her fathers feet.

"Come here lovely." He reached out, indicating Ella to fall into his arm. "Everything's going to be alright sweetheart, I promise." Fletch held her head tightly to his chest as he kissed her crown. Ella was puzzled but she continued to be cradled in her dad's arm. Slowly, her eyes fell shut. He rolled her across to lay next to her mum and laid on the edge, to protect her from falling out.

"Adrian.." Natalie spoke sleepily as she searched the bed to find Fletch. "Ade." She felt the small hands of Ella brush against her. "Ella?" She said with confusion across her face. Her topless husband walked in while brushing his teeth.

"She couldn't sleep, I said she could."

"Ade!" Nat rolled her eyes as she pulled her night dress down which had crumbled up at the back. She walked like a drunk towards the door where Adrian was still stood. Her head was spinning, she gripped onto the wall to keep herself up. "I don't want Ella in our bed, not while i'm pregnant." Fletch sighed, he felt he couldn't do anything right.

"Evie, Mickey get up, you've got school."

"Are you even listening to me?" She questioned as Fletch walked back into the bathroom. "Oh, you know what just forget it. It's not like your listening anyway!" She shouted at the top of her voice, slamming the door behind. Her head continued to spin. The whole world was tilting in her head as she hit the floor with a crash. Fletch reacted quickly and pushed the door open, finding Natalie sprawled across the floor. She cradled her head.

"I'm taking you to the ED, you can't keep getting like this. You need to get checked out." He supported her under the arms and lifted her onto the bed, avoiding the sleeping Ella. "I'll call my mum for her, put these on." Fletch threw a pair of maternity leggings at her with a denim pull over dress. She shook her head, her eyes kept rolling as she tried to fall asleep but Fletch wouldn't let her. He ran into the other room and dialled his mum and explain the situation. She was on her way round.

"I'm fine, just abit dizzy." Fletch pushed her shoes onto her feet like a small child.

"You've been like this 5 days now, i'll get Zoe or Tess to check you over." He quivered at the name Tess. It made his heart skip a beat, he was still in love with her. But, he couldn't let Natalie know that.

He ran downstairs to the sound of the doorbell, his mum had arrived already."Mum, thank god. Look after the kids while I take Nat to work please, I think she's got something wrong with her." Fletch's mother, Pauline nodded in acceptance before collecting Evie and Mickey and helping them pack for school. Fletch sprinted back up the stairs and held Natalie by the waist. He subconsciously placed his hand beneath her bump as it kicked. She limped down the stairs. "Mum, were going now." She hummed.

"This is pointless." Natalie said as Fletch pulled up at the traffic lights. "I was just light headed because I got angry." Fletch shook his head.

"Even if you were light headed because of that, you've been like this for days and it's worth getting checked out - especially with the baby." His foot pressed against the pedal as he sped off.

Tess stared in amazement as Fletch huddled his wife into the ED. He cradled her bag under his left armpit. "She just feels abit faint." Tess scurried over. It made her jealous seeing the pair together, as much as she hated herself for having the affair.

"Well, we'll get that sorted out for you. If you'd like to follow me Natalie." Tess grinned widely, her best fake smile. She indicated Big Mac to bring a wheelchair over to the pair. Gently, Natalie lowered herself down before being carted to resus. "Pop up on the bed and i'll get a doctor to come and see you now." Fletch smiled at Tess as she walked off. He followed but Natalie grabbed his hand pulling him back. His hand pulled away sharply, Natalie looked on angrily.

"Tess!"

"Not now Fletch, you're with your wife." She continued to walk away but Fletch stopped, watching her leave. He felt a small part of his heart break. He wanted nothing more than to be with Tess, he just didn't have the courage to break it to Natalie.

Fletch sat impatiently next to his wife. In the distance, Tom and Zoe appeared. No Tess. Zoe marched towards them, clearly signalled by the clashing heels with the tiles. He could feel fear in his stomach, Zoe knew. She knew everything and right now, all Fletch could think about was how she'd be judging and more than likely go and slag him off to Tess. "Nice to see you again, Natalie." She greeted her in a friendly tone, with Tom stood slightly behind. "I heard you've been suffering dizzy spells recently?" Natalie nodded weakly. "In the past week, how often would you say you've had them? Once, twice a day? More?"

"More." Natalie croaked. Fletch looked at her furiously. She wasn't bothered about allowing him know about her health.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He enquired, sternly.

"You don't listen." Tom sniggered before forcing his hand against his mouth to preventing him from laughing anymore. He got a kick out of seeing Fletch in trouble with the 'missus', since Fletch always took the mickey out of him and Sam.

"Are you suffering any ache's at all or increasing tiredness?" Natalie nodded again. Zoe pulled a pen from Tom's pocket and began writing on Natalie's notes. "When you had periods, were they heavy?" Natalie could feel herself turning a deep, tomato red. She didn't particularly enjoy talking about girly stuff infront of men. She nodded quickly before rolling in the bed. "Right Natalie, if you don't mind i'd like to take a set of bloods from you to be tested." Zoe forced the pen back into Tom's pocket, almost stabbing him in the process. She smiled, "I suspect that you have iron deficiency anaemia. It's very common in pregnant women as baby needs iron aswell, but it's nothing that we can't treat. Tom will you do bloods please?"

"Why didn't you tell me about having them more than once a day?" Natalie shrugged before turning the opposite way. Fletch walked around the bed and knelt down directly infront of her. "I care about you Nat, I know recently I haven't been able to show it because i'm working 24/7 but I want you to promise that when your not feeling right or need someone to talk to, you come to me.. For better or worse, in sickness and in health remember." Tom cringed at what Fletch said before slipping away laughing.

"I feel so distant from you. You're never at home when I want to talk Ade."

"I always have my phone on me."

"Hello, Adrian Fletcher here, i'm busy at the minute so leave a message, thanks." Natalie mocked his voice. He gently ran his fingers down the side of her head, helping sooth her. "You can go and see the kids, I might try and have a sleep." Fletch grinned at her.

"I'll stay, linger round the staff room or something. I don't want to leave you." Tom entered resus again with a trolley of blood sample equipment. He pushed it close to Natalie and took a long stretch of rubber and tied it around her arm. "It won't hurt Nat, he's got butterfly fingers." The needle forced it's way through Natalie's skin. Tom quickly applied pressure to the bleed and covered it with cotton wool and tape.

Natalie had been sleeping for a while now while she waited for her blood results. Fletch wondered round the ED offering his services wherever possible. As he waltzed past cubicle 2, he caught sight of Tess, wiping down the bed. "How've you been?"

"What?"

"I haven't seen you in 3 weeks. The last time we spoke, we argued." Tess continued to focus herself into work. Ignoring Fletch comment.

"I have nothing to say to you." She said, provoking a reaction. Adrian was incredible calm and collective in the cubicle. He pulled the curtain round them gently to ensure no-one listened in.

"Tess, I still love you." Tess' head shook in disapproval. "You know, last night I was going to leave Natalie for you."

"Don't." She elbowed him in the ribs to make him fall backwards from trying to kiss Tess on the cheek. "Not here, Adrian", Adrian, Fletch knew she only used that when he was annoyed or tired.

"So, when are you going to start putting us on shifts together again?"

"It's just the way it's worked out." Tess announced, ruffling the crumpled sheets up to the top of the bed. Fletch shook his head disappointedly.

"It's funny that. How it worked out in your favour? Anyone in the right mind would think you've been swapping shifts with Charlie." Fletch walked around the bed to stand on the opposite side, he helped her fix the sheet before leaning across the bed and staring right into her eyes. Cheekily, he smiled much to Tess' unamusement. His hand slipped on top of hers as he held it tightly. "How many people know?" Tess snatched her hand before looking round the cubicle for an escape route. "You can say you don't love me till your blue in the face but not with change the fact we were gonna have a baby together. A baby, Tess."

"You've got one with your wife now, what's the problem?"

"The problem is it's not your baby i'm going to get at the end of this." Fletch pushed himself onto the edge of the bed, balancing himself with one foot on the ground. "Every birthday, every school year, every christmas - i'll be think what if. What if our son or daughter was here, what would we be doing?" Tess joined him on the side of the bed.

"I couldn't go through with it." She tugged Fletch's hand and held it. "I couldn't take you away from your family, it's not right, it's against my beliefs." Fletch shook his head, gently pressing his hand to the side of her and holding it to his chest.

"You don't need to worry about that, i'll sort it out." Tess looked up while Fletch looked down at her, he watched how she looked into his eyes for a few minutes before kissing her lips. For the first time, Tess didn't pull away. "I'll fix this Tess. You don't need to worry." He brushed her fringe out of her eyes before losing grasp of her hand and leaving he cubicle.

Fletch sat in the car park for a while, alone trying to get his head around what he just promised. His heart was devoted to Tess, but he couldn't chance losing his kids. Not before Christmas. It was well a mind conflict, literally. "Alright?" He heard a feminine voice whisper from above him. Fletch turned round to find the senior consultant smoking.

"You really need to cut them down." Fletch stumbled up on his jarred legs. He grabbed the wall to steady his stumble.

"The bloods shouldn't be to long now, you can get going once we have the correct diagnosis."

"I'm not sure if I can." Zoe stubbed the cigarette on the floor before squashing it down with her foot. She pushed her fringe behind her ear. "I love her, Zoe." Fletch confessed. Zoe knew exactly who he was talking about. She shook her head at him.

"You need to choose Fletch and quickly. You can't keep messing Tess and Natalie around like this." Fletch began to respond before Zoe continued. "I mean it Fletch, i'm not bothered about your ED romance but I don't want you messing Tess about. She's one of my bestfriends and the last thing she deserve is to be treated the way you've been the last few weeks."

"You don't know the half of it." Fletch protested in his defense. He furiously pushed past Zoe and she followed.

"Do you want to remember who your talking to Fletch?"

"Pulling rank on me now? This is a private matter so just stay out of it, alright?" Tess caught sight of the arguement and hurried over. She watched as Fletch and Zoe exchanged some harsh remarks before dragging Fletch away into resus. Fletch glared at Natalie in the bed, she was resting. It had all built up too much for him.

"What was that about?" Fletch looked Tess up and down, indicating he meant her. She sighed in disappointment, she didn't want her bestfriend and Fletch falling out over this. "What did she say?"

"I need to start treating you with respect." Fletch lowered his voice. "I need to choose between you two." Natalie's arm twitched, causing Fletch to jump, thinking she was listening to their conversation. "I can't, not yet, it'll ruin the kids Christmas." Tess nodded understandably. Fletch looked at Natalie who laid still. A tear trickled down his right cheek. Tess brushed it away before pushing onto her tiptoes and giving Fletch a peck.

"Natalie, we have your test results back." She twisted her body round, struggling to keep her eyes open. "It is iron deficiency." Zoe confirmed. "I'll get onto pharmacy now for some iron tablets and then you can be discharged. Hopefully that will prevent you from going dizzy but if it continues you aren't short of medical help are you." Zoe bluntly joked.

"Thanks."

"Nice to meet you again Mrs Fletcher." Zoe smiled sarcastically to indicate the comment was a dig at Fletch. She left with a click off the heels.

Fletch stared at the window in resus, watching patients being wheeled in and out all day. He felt helpless but his wife came before strangers, plus he wasn't being paid for it, any excuse for Fletch.

"Here's Nat's pills. I'll just get the forms." Fletch smiled as Tess walked back out of resus to get discharge forms. She came back shortly after with them clipped onto a clipboard with the rest of Natalie's notes. "Natalie!" Her eyes opened abruptly in reaction to her name. "Sorry, these are your iron tablets and can you sign here to show you've agreed to be discharged."

"Thanks Tess." Natalie smiled before struggling to her feet. Fletch held her arm out for support and handed her the car keys.

"I'll be out in a minute, I just need to check the rota." Natalie struggled out of resus on her achy legs. She watched in the window as Fletch spoke to Tess.

"Can you change the rota so we're together?"

"Not yet."

"I want to see you Tess." Fletch reached out and grabbed her hand and slotted her fingers between his. Natalie stared. She was in shock at what she witness. All of a sudden it all pieced together. What Fletch wanted to tell her, why he never stopped talking about her. She bit her lip to prevent tears cascading down ber cheeks.

After, what felt like hours to Natalie, Fletch appeared at the car. Natalie scrubbed the tear stains off her face but it didn't completely disappear. "We can both sleep at ease now knowing it's not something serious." Fletch said as he fixed himself into the drivers seat and clipped his seatbelt across his chest. In the corner of his eye he seen a red mark on Natalie's face. "What's up?" He enquired in a gentle voice. She shook her head while wiping her tear away. "Come on Nat, what is it?"

"How long?" 


End file.
